Urban foraging has exploded in popularity over the last few years and now dozens of UK restaurants show off foraged food on their menus. Foodies around the country are flocking to the trend. But what does it all mean?
1. What is foraging?
The height of culinary fashion, urban or rural foraging means taking to parks, woodlands and seashores to search for edibles that you can use to make your own food. The UK has plenty of mushrooms, berries and plants that are not only edible, but also delicious. In fact,even the most inner-city locations have plenty of foraging opportunities if you only know where to look.
2. Where can I try the food?
The Foxhunter,Ā The Foxhunter, Nantyderry, Abergavenny, South Wales (01873 881101), is set in an old stationmaster’s house in the picturesque village of Nantyderry, near Usk in Wales. The ever-changing menu includes several wild foods and you can even take a course to see how they go about finding their daily ingredients.
Rabbit restaurant on the King’s Road offers fresh farmed and foraged food. The fashionable Chelsea set have taken to the new concept and there are queues to get in on most evenings.
The Edinburgh Larder specialises in seasonal, locally supplied food supplemented with foraged treats. Try their cafƩ on Blackfriars Street or their bistro on Alva Street. Make a weekend of it with a stay at our Edinburgh Central Princes Street.
3. Where can I learn to forage?
Fergus the Forager has made a brand out of his skills in finding wild food, and he offers one-day courses to show you how he does it. The courses take place near Canterbury and last for a full day of 12-13 hours. You’ll even get the chance to cook what you find over an open fire. Stay at our Canterbury Chaucer Central Travelodge Hotel to get some rest after all that fresh air.
Foraging by bicycle? The Fat Hen wild cookery school will show you how to ‘return to nature to source your food’ with a variety of courses and events in Penzance.
Forage London run walks and courses around the capital to help city-dwellers identify the edible plants that grow all around them and think up delicious ways to cook them. They also specialise in seashore foraging and mushroom hunting for adventurous foodies. Stay at one of our London Travelodge hotels so that you can get up bright and early to make the most of your outdoor time.
